- Google Cloud outages hit British banks, logistics businesses
Source: United Press International
“Financial institutions based in the United Kingdom reported widespread disruption of their online services Tuesday after Google outages hit a significant portion of its Cloud services. … The BBC said it was unclear if all the firms were Google Cloud services clients, meaning problems experienced on Tuesday may have had a different origin.” (10/20/26)
- China: Regime creates state-owned firm in Xiongan to develop AI data resources
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China has set up a new state-owned enterprise dedicated to managing the country’s massive data resources, a significant move designed to turbocharge the nation’s artificial intelligence industry and bolster its digital economy. The National Data Group Co – based in China’s ‘city of the future’, Xiongan New Area in northern Hebei province – is tasked with ‘developing and utilising data resources, unlocking the value of data elements, serving AI development and fostering a data industry ecosystem’, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.” (10/20/26)
- Zelenskyy says early warning system resumes following Rubio call
Source: SFGate
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is once again receiving early warnings from its partners following recent Russian missile attacks that he said occurred without enough notice. For at least a week, the Ukrainian leader has said that his country’s military has not received early warnings about ballistic missiles aimed at the capital. He said such intelligence saves lives by allowing alerts to the public and giving military units time to try to intercept the missiles. Zelenskyy said the change happened after talks with his American counterparts, including a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the day. ‘We are thankful that intelligence works now, and I’m speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians, because we can hear when ballistic is coming,’ Zelenskyy said on a visit to Norway. ‘So we are thankful to American side now that it works.'” (10/20/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/russian-missile-and-drone-blitz-kills-4-in-22484962.php
- US Judge Dismisses Sam Altman’s Sister’s Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Source: US News & World Report
“Sam Altman on Tuesday won the dismissal of a civil lawsuit filed by his sister accusing the OpenAI co-founder and chief executive of repeated sexual abuse more than two decades ago, an accusation he denies. … US District Judge Zachary Bluestone wrote that she had refused to appear for an independent medical examination despite warnings that failure to do so would result in the case’s dismissal. … She accused her brother of sexually abusing and raping her between 1997 and 2006 at the family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri …. The Altman family has said Annie Altman has mental health challenges and received financial support. Sam Altman has said she began accusing him on social media of sexual abuse after the family rejected her demands for more funds.” (10/20/260
- Sudan: Army drones reportedly hit mourners & fuel market, killing more than 300 people
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Sudan’s army has been accused of launching several drone strikes that have reportedly killed more than 300 people, including dozens travelling to a funeral. The death toll from strikes in two areas of West Kordofan state on Sunday evening was 150, sources told the Sudan War Observatory, which tracks the conflict that erupted in 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In Abyei, a disputed border area between Sudan and South Sudan, 153 people were killed when drones hit a market on Monday, the region’s information minister said. A military source told the BBC the army had carried out the Abyei attack, saying the market was a fuel supply site for the RSF.” (10/20/26)
- US regime orders federal agencies to remove China’s DeepSeek AI from their systems
Source: TechCrunch
“The U.S. has ordered federal civilian agencies to stop purchasing services and products developed by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek and remove them from government IT systems over national security concerns tied to the Chinese AI startup’s operations in China, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The order goes beyond banning DeepSeek’s own product, but also covers third-party products and services built using DeepSeek technology, though agencies can request exceptions. The DHS raised concerns about DeepSeek’s handling of user data, warning that sensitive information from US government users could potentially be accessible to Chinese authorities under Chinese law, the order said. … China pushed back against the U.S.’s move. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday that Beijing opposes ‘overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing technology and trade issues,’ according to an official briefing.” (10/20/26)
- OH: Democratic governor candidate’s estranged mother urges voters to reject her
Source: Fox News
“Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s mother urged voters not to cast their ballot for her daughter, calling her ‘a liar’. ‘I love my daughter. But when I saw her lying about her opponent — it’s not easy for a mother to say this — but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar.’ … Acton, a former Ohio Department of Health director, issued a statement from her brother. The release containing the statement described the woman as the siblings’ ‘estranged and abusive mother.’ ‘It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,’ Philip Stearns said in the statement. ‘After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died.'” (10/20/26)
- France: Regime to impose new curfews in unrest-hit areas where needed, PM says
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“France will impose new curfews in areas where they are required, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Tuesday after the first night of partial curfews in major cities including Paris. Lecornu said the targeted curfews had helped keep the peace overnight after a turbulent weekend that saw protesters take aim at state institutions. … Lecornu has told French lawmakers that authorities would mobilize a ‘massive’ security presence next weekend, after organizers announced plans for new protests. … The prime minister also accused what he referred to as small ultra-left and extreme-left groups in certain locations of forging an ‘insurrectionary plan’ that fueled the violent rioting over the weekend for which the government could provide evidence.” (10/20/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/french-authorities-impose-partial-curfews-in-paris-nice/live-79707186
- Yemen: Houthis attack besieged city that UN says is at “grave risk”
Source: Associated Press
“Iran-backed Houthi rebels [sic] struck a residential area in Yemen’s third-largest city on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and renewing attention on the dangers faced by civilians in Taiz, which has been under attack and siege during the country’s escalating conflict. The Houthis have largely encircled Taiz, cutting it off from most supply routes and putting civilians at ‘grave risk’, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday. The U.N. says the siege has left many residents without food and other necessities as prices soar. The attack on Taiz came a day after a Houthi strike on a government military camp killed 73 recruits, the deadliest strike since the resurgence of the conflict over the summer, according to a senior Yemeni government official.” (10/20/26)
https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-saudi-fighting-8a036054a8f0cd38ff8ee0101947f708
- MS: Cop skates (for now) in negligent discharge that killed one-year-old
Source: United Press International
“The use of force in an officer-involved-shooting that resulted in the death of a 1-year-old in Mississippi has been ruled justified by the state of Mississippi on Monday. … The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said the driver of the vehicle, Kohen’s aunt, drove toward the police officers and struck one of them. An officer then fired on the vehicle, hitting the driver and fatally shooting Kohen [Wiley]. … An independent autopsy report found that Kohen’s death was a homicide. His family is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they seek the release of surveillance footage from the Walmart and the bureau of investigation.” (10/19/26)
- UK: Two people re-arrested on suspicion of assisting Iran intelligence after RAF Fairford incident
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The re-arrests announced on Tuesday relate to a 24-year-old man who was initially arrested on 27 September near the base and a 25-year-old who was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts days later on 1 October in the borough of Westminster. The other five men – who also include a 22-year-old British national arrested in Westminster on 6 October – remain on police bail. The head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement. Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it’.” (10/20/26)
- Finland: Regime seeks one million land mines
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Finland is seeking to acquire one million anti-personnel mines. The plan to spend 100 million euros ($112 million) on the munitions comes after Helsinki and regional peers withdrew from a United Nations compact rejecting their use. With Moscow increasingly accused of mounting hybrid warfare against supporters of Ukraine, and possibly planning military provocations, Finland exited the Ottawa Convention last year. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all also among the staunchest allies of Ukraine, also quit the agreement, citing the potential threat from Moscow. … Finland shares a border of roughly 1,340 kilometres (830 miles) with Russia. It has beefed up its defences since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and reported that migrants have been pushed across from the east.” (10/19/26)
- Woman accusing Cornell students of rape says president’s response made her feel “disbelieved”
Source: SFGate
“The woman who has accused seven students of raping her at a Cornell University fraternity house has weighed in on a looming faculty vote of no confidence in the school’s leadership, saying the university’s president questioned why she waited to report being assaulted — an alleged remark she said left her feeling ‘unsupported and disbelieved’. Her case has prompted student protests, renewed scrutiny of the university’s disciplinary system and a state investigation into the alleged assault. In an Oct. 14 letter to faculty leaders obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, described a conversation she said took place shortly after she reported the alleged assault in November 2024. According to her secondhand account, the president of her sorority told her that Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff had questioned Jane Doe’s delay in reporting the alleged assault, which the sorority leader interpreted as casting doubt on her story.” (10/20/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/woman-who-accused-cornell-students-of-rape-says-22485983.php
- MO: AG announces she doesn’t understand the phrase “interstate commerce”
Source: Bitcoin.com
“Missouri is targeting prediction market platforms that offer sports-linked event markets. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her office sent cease-and-desist letters to several companies operating platforms that let Missourians access these sports event contracts—elements that her office considers illegal under state law. Polymarket, Kalshi, Crypto.com, Novig, Underdog, and Robinhood have been affected by these actions, as Hanaway labeled the provision of these services as operating an unlicensed sports wagering business.” [editor’s note: None of these businesses operate from Missouri, and any use of them by Missourians is by definition interstate (or international) commerce, regulation of which the US Constitution assigns to Congress, not to Catherine Hanaway – TLK] (10/19/26)
https://news.bitcoin.com/regulation-and-legal/missouri-hits-polymarket-kalshi-cease-desist-orders/
- It Came From Beneath the Annual Fundraiser
THANK YOU to subscribing contributors AN and DY! Their donations yesterday, totaling $12.50, prevented a “zero-dollar day” in our annual fundraiser and bring our total (as of 5am) to $1,003!
That leaves us just $1,748.50 short of our goal (once we’ve reached $2751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the $5,503 finish line.
We’re not yet at the point where I hammer you, tediously and at length, with our glorious 30+ year history by way of trying to pry your wallets open. Here’s the short and sweet of it:
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Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Canada: Alberta voters reject independence process
Source: Associated Press
“Voters in Canada’s oil-rich Alberta province overwhelmingly backed remaining in Canada, with early referendum results Tuesday delivering a boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push for national unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats. With more than 1.5 million votes counted, 76% supported remaining in Canada, while close to 24% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. The referendum wasn’t a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada.” (10/20/26)
- US DoJ charges 28 green card holders in California over alleged voter fraud
Source: The Guardian
“The US Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against 28 green card holders in California accused of fraudulently registering to vote and casting illegal ballots. The crackdown marks another escalation in the federal government’s ongoing efforts against alleged noncitizen voting, efforts that Democrats and voting rights groups say are part of a strategy by the Trump administration to sow doubt in the results of the upcoming midterm elections. The justice department announced Monday that 28 noncitizens from across California were facing charges, including making false statements in a naturalization application and fraudulently signing up to vote, felonies that could carry five years in prison. The defendants are lawful permanent residents, who have legal status in the US but are not citizens authorized to vote. A justice department spokesperson said 21 of the 28 defendants had cast unlawful ballots.” (10/19/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/california-illegal-voting-charges-doj
- FL: GOP sues Democrats to stop ad mentioning GOP election-rigging scandal
Source: CBS News
“The Republican Party of Florida filed suit on Friday against the Florida Democratic Party, many of its candidates, and a slew of television stations, seeking to stop the airing of a political ad that highlights the leaked grand jury presentment in the Hope Florida scandal. … State statutes ‘make it unlawful for any person to knowingly broadcast the content, gist, or import of testimony of a witness examined before a grand jury. The advertisement does exactly that,’ the lawsuit states.” [editor’s note: If I was a Republican official or candidate, I wouldn’t want the Democrats to mention that prominent people in my party misappropriated $10 million and used it to rig an election, either. But I might want to look up “Streisand Effect” before filing suit over it – TLK] (10/19/26)
- Trump open to summit with Xi and Putin — to discuss denuclearization
Source: Axios
“President Trump wants to hold a trilateral summit with Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin in China next month to discuss ‘denuclearization’ — but not necessarily Ukraine. Such a summit between the leaders of the U.S., China and Russia would be unprecedented. Trump has been talking for two years about his aspiration to reach a deal with Russia and China to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. But so far Putin and Xi haven’t shown much openness to the idea. … The Kremlin has been floating the idea of holding such a meeting since July. Putin raised the issue in two phone calls with Trump, including one last week. The Chinese government hasn’t expressed willingness to hold such a summit. … When asked on Monday whether such a summit could discuss ending the war in Ukraine, Trump said he wants to hold such a trilateral meeting, but in order to discuss other issues.” (10/19/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/10/19/trump-summit-xi-putin-denuclearization-ukraine
- Mahmoud Khalil takes legal fight to SCOTUS
Source: The Hill
“Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University demonstrator who became a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian foreign students, asked the Supreme Court on Monday to take up his case, his lawyers said. … The Supreme Court turns away the vast majority of petitions to hear cases and will consider Khalil’s at a closed-door meeting in the coming months. His lawyers expressed hope it will be on track to be heard this term. Until the justices decide how to proceed, Khalil will remain free. The green-card holder has emerged as a face of the Trump administration’s [abductions] of noncitizen college students and faculty who’ve expressed pro-Palestinian support. Immigration authorities [abducted] Khalil in March 2025, and he was jailed until a federal judge ordered his release a few months later.” (10/19/26)
- Minnesota’s massive fraud scandal could deliver stunning Senate upset
Source: Fox News
by Hugh Hewitt“‘This historic fraud happened under her watch, and suddenly, she’s looking out for Medicaid and SNAP? Sell it to someone else, Peggy.’ With this debate response to Minnesota Democratic Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan’s protestations of concern over access to benefits for the very poor, Republican nominee for Senate Michele Tafoya sealed her status as ‘rookie of the year’ in American politics. A longtime NFL broadcast professional, Tafoya demonstrated decades of quick on-camera thinking in her debate last week with Flanagan and combined it with a deft slash at Flanagan’s greatest vulnerability: Flanagan’s apprenticeship as lieutenant governor to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during the tidal wave of fraud that swept across Minnesota after COVID-era ‘look-the-other-way’ policies became a feature, not a bug, in Minnesota’s vast system of ‘safety net’ programs.” [editor’s note: At the moment, Flanagan seems to be polling ahead of Tafoya, but not by a lot. It will be about turnout – TLK] (10/20/26)
- What happened to all the concern about Venezuelan democracy?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Imdat Oner“Just a year ago, governments across the region were condemning Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarianism, questioning the legitimacy of his electoral victories and supporting international pressure on Caracas. Today, many engage directly with Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president and Venezuela’s interim president. The region has moved from demanding democratic change in Caracas to normalizing relations with the very political establishment it once sought to isolate.” (10/20/26)
- Inside Dems’ absurd push to downplay noncitizen voting and block Voter ID
Source: California Post
by staff“Californians have been told for months or even years: Noncitizen voting is as mythical as Bigfoot. Well, we just had a few sightings. As the California Post reported, federal authorities on Monday charged 28 foreign nationals with alleged election-related crimes, including illegally registering to vote and, in some cases, casting votes in past elections. The feds called ‘Operation Protect the Vote’ the largest voter fraud bust in state history. And it underscores a basic truth in California: Fraud of all kinds has run amok for years; it needs to end; and state voters in November would do well to support Prop. 39, the Voter ID act — to help ensure that at least part of it does.” [editor’s note: Prosecutors claim 21 of those charged voted illegally. So slightly fewer than one one-millionth of registered California voters -TLK] (10/19/26)
- Conquest, Commerce, and Development
Source: Law & Liberty
by Kai Weiss“hat should the principles of development policy be? In light of the often-dark history of Western attempts to develop other parts of the world—from the conquest of the Americas and the colonization of Africa and Asia to the more banal ‘development’ policies of the twentieth century—what regularly went wrong in this history? What was lacking in allegedly benevolent policies that turned into tyranny and oppression? And how can development economics prevent this history from continuing? These are the questions at the heart of William Easterly’s Violent Saviors: The West’s Conquest of the Rest.” (10/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/conquest-commerce-and-development/
- Only Congress Can Defend Our Right to Private Conversation
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Bob Goodlatte“Imagine you’re walking through a quiet park with your best friend. You lower your voices and speak privately about something very personal and sensitive. You need no government permission to have this conversation. You do not expect an intelligence agency to listen in and decide whether your conversation sounds suspicious. You’re just two friends, talking. Why shouldn’t we expect the same freedom to speak freely and privately when we communicate online? Wednesday, Oct. 21, is Global Encryption Day, an occasion to defend the technology that makes digital conversations as private as those you have with your friends and family. But encryption is in danger of being broken by demands from governments at home and abroad.” [editor’s note: Congress or no Congress, we can defend our own rights by using encryption with or without permission – TLK]
- Competence and Capability in the Age of AI
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Russ Gonnering“AI can be extremely valuable as a ‘library’ of what is already known. When used as a tool in the Simple and Complicated domains, it streamlines the understanding of the problem. However, it can be counterproductive in the Complex Domain, as the journey to asking the right question is just as important as obtaining the right answer. Its utility in the Chaotic Domain is still nebulous. When faced with a ticking time bomb, it is not important that the wiring be understood but that the bomb be rapidly defused with a water disrupter. Analysis can come later.” (10/20/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/competence-and-capability-in-the-age-of-ai/
- Whitehouse Taunts Biden and Other Democrats For Being Too “Chicken” to Pack the Court
Source: Jonathan Turley Blog
by Jonathan Turley“Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI] has added schoolyard taunts to his call to pack the Supreme Court with an instant liberal majority. Last week, Whitehouse denounced former President Joe Biden and other Democrats for being ‘too chicken’ to pack the Court and, in the view of many of us, destroy the institution that has been critical to the success of this Republic for 250 years. The Lever’s David Sirota, a former speechwriter and adviser to Bernie Sanders, set the table for Whitehouse by asking him about how the public can join the resistance to the Court, which is ‘enabling an anti-democratic project.'” (10/20/26)
- The Cost of Europe’s Steel Wall
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes“Steel tariffs protect producers at the expense of the businesses that depend on them. As of July 1, the European Union has capped duty-free steel imports at about 18.3 million tonnes (20.2 US tons) a year, 47% below 2024 quota levels. Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 also doubles the duty on imports that exceed those limits, from 25% to 50%. Brussels justifies these measures by pointing to global overcapacity and the need for strategic autonomy. Yet, by making imported steel more expensive, it risks hurting thousands of European companies that rely on this raw material to compete in domestic and international markets.” (10/20/26)
- The Traitor in Chief
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“Previous administrations have made deals with erstwhile adversaries, as Nixon did with China, and given up on support for failing allies, as the U.S. did in Vietnam and Afghanistan. But never before have we outright switched sides, let alone supported an aggressor while vilifying that aggressor’s victim. What makes Trump’s support for Putin even more remarkable is that Russia has, by many accounts, been actively aiding Iran against America in the war Trump started. Who says so? Well, among others, Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. … What would Republicans be saying if a Democratic president were supporting a foreign dictator even as that dictator was helping another nation kill American troops? They would be crying ‘treason.’ But this is all apparently ‘fine’ with Trump.” (10/20/26)
- Lessons From Political Violence in the 1876 Presidential Election
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya“In the ongoing debate about enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, civil rights activists allege that the Trump administration is intimidating black people to impede them from voting. They invoke the history of the Reconstruction era, arguing that ‘voters, especially voters of color, are intimidated and fearful of engaging in the democratic process.’ For historical context, it must be noted that during Reconstruction a vast majority of black people voted for the Republican Party, which they regarded as the party that brought them emancipation and voting rights. They felt they owed their allegiance to the Republicans and were encouraged in this belief by the Union Leagues. The history of that era is commonly recounted as if all the violence emanated from one side—the Democratic Party. The Republican Party is absolved of all moral blame.” (10/20/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/lessons-political-violence-1876-presidential-election
- French Riots, Russian Playbook
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov“In late summer 1944, as the Allies clawed France back from Nazi occupation, Adolf Hitler is reported to have asked one of his generals, ‘Is Paris burning?’ The führer’s question was more of a demand; Hitler wanted to deploy scorched-earth tactics in the French capital to slow the Anglo-American advance. Fortunately, the German dictator’s underlings punted and Paris was spared. Today, however, Paris is in flames, along with several other French cities. Rioters have torched cars and buildings and smashed homes and storefronts. Like Hitler before him, Vladimir Putin needs the West ablaze in order to postpone military defeat. With Russia, nothing comes out of the blue. The timing—coinciding with Donald Trump’s final, complete betrayal of Ukraine, ahead of the November US midterms and presidential elections in France next spring—is no accident.” (10/20/26)
- These Conservatives Fought an Ill-Fated War, but Recovered and Won the Next Election
Source: The American Conservative
by James P Pinkerton“The Anglo leader looked across the globe and saw a Muslim nation, which had already been stirring things up, potentially threatening a vital waterway. At the same time, Israel had its own beef against that country, and was pushing for a joint first-strike. So together, the two governments launched a military attack. But things did not go well. Casualties were low, but the political blowback was shattering. Is this a sketch of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran? Some might so assert, and that can’t be helped. Yet these are the outlines of the Suez Crisis of 1956.” (10/20/26)
- I Love You Guys
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I don’t really fit in with any group. Too woo-woo spiritual for the Marxists. Too angry for the Buddhists. Too political for the nondualists. Too much of a liberal-hating commie for the witches. Too radical for the socdems or demsocs. Too grown up for the anarchists. If hippies were real I guess I’d be one of those. Like, if it had been more than psychedelic-fueled idealism that collapsed into vapid yuppiedom as soon as the drugs wore off. I’d be a hippie if there were something more substantial to it than navel-gazing escapism, because at least in theory they try to synthesize the political and the spiritual.” [editor’s note: Most anarchists are more “grown up,” emotionally at least, than Johnstone’s 40s going on 14 – TLK] (10/20/26)
- Is Elon Musk Worth the Trouble?
Source: The Dispatch
by Marian L Tupy“On Friday, Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary, Musk, opened nationwide. The film presents Musk as a deeply flawed man whose wealth and power have become dangerous. There is plenty of evidence for the first part of that judgment. But the documentary raises a larger question. How much offensiveness should society tolerate from people who push the technological frontier forward? My answer is quite a lot.” (10/20/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/elon-musk-innovation-tesla-spacex-politics-doge/
- Nobel prize for Keynesian economics
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak“The Nobel prize in economics for 2026 was awarded to Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford. According to the Nobel committee, the laureates had developed macroeconomic models that significantly improved our ability to implement effective stabilization policies. The committee is of the view that on the basis of these models, well-timed fiscal and monetary policy measures can reduce the economy’s peaks and troughs. The models developed by the laureates are based on the ideas of English economist John Maynard Keynes. In the Keynesian framework, the output that an economy can generate with a given pool of resources i.e. labour, tools and machinery, and a given technology without causing inflation, is labelled as potential output.” (10/20/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/10/nobel-prize-for-keynesian-economics/
- After the International “Liberal Order”
Source: Reason
by Joshua Shifrinson“In popular rendering, international politics since 1945 has been shaped by the so-called ‘liberal order.’ Led by the United States, a bundle of international institutions, rules, and norms intended to limit interstate competition and facilitate cooperation were widely embraced, contributing (per this narrative) to a peaceful and prosperous world. Today, that system seems to be breaking down, leaving policymakers, pundits, and scholars grappling with what a future order should entail and how this system should be orchestrated. Rivers of ink have already flowed in service of this foundational question. To the mix we can now add Charles Kupchan’s Bringing Order to Anarchy.” (10/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/20/after-the-international-liberal-order/
- Trump vowed to stop an “energy emergency.” Then he created a real one.
Source: Grist
by Jake Bittle“On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump declared that the United States was experiencing a ‘national energy emergency.’ The ‘harmful and shortsighted policies of the previous administration,’ he wrote in an executive order, had left the nation’s energy resources ‘far too inadequate,’ a situation that ’causes and makes worse the high energy prices that devastate Americans.’ … Almost two years later, as Trump stares down a midterm election, his claim of an emergency has an ironic ring. The United States is experiencing a kind of energy emergency characterized by high fuel prices, but it is not the one he described when he took office. Not only that, but the executive powers he unlocked with his emergency order have proven useless for mitigating the current crisis and for lowering the high prices he decried upon taking office.” (10/20/26)
https://grist.org/energy/trump-energy-emergency-declaration-prices-oil-coal-gasoline-diesel/
- What Turned a Stock Market Crash into the Great Depression?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas L Hogan“The stock market crash may have started the trouble, but Federal Reserve failures and New Deal interventions transformed a downturn into the Great Depression.” (10/20/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-turned-a-stock-market-crash-into-the-great-depression/
- Require Police to Get a Warrant to Search ALPR Data
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Adam Schwartz“Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are mass surveillance. They photograph every passing car and log where and when it was captured, building a searchable record of where nearly everyone drives. Cities should not buy them, and cities that already have them should shut them down. Where these systems still operate, courts and state legislatures must reduce their harms by (among other things) requiring police to get a warrant before searching stored ALPR data. A warrant requirement would not make mass surveillance acceptable, but it would require police to justify a search to a judge before accessing records of people’s movements.” (10/19/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/require-police-get-warrant-search-alpr-data
- Don’t expect Mamdani to actually act to reverse soaring subway violence
Source: New York Post
by staff“With Saturday’s mid-day murder in the tourist-packed 7th Avenue subway station at 53rd Street, the city has now seen seven transit killings since January — almost double the number over the same period last year — and the politicians plainly won’t do what’s needed to seriously reverse the trend. That grim milestone indicts Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his movement’s anti-public-safety policies — as he all but acknowledged Monday with a long, ugly silence before claiming to be ‘heartbroken’ over the death of Darrel Rodriguez and vague noises about addressing gun violence. Progressives have been on a ‘criminal justice reform’ roll for over a decade now — starting with the disastrous ‘success’ of getting city district attorneys to quit prosecuting fare-beating, even though such perps are regularly wanted for more serious offenses.” (10/20/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/10/20/opinion/why-mamdani-wont-act-to-reverse-soaring-subway-violence/
- Kansas? Montana? Mississippi? Where Will the Blue Wave Crest?
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher“Are Democrats spending money quixotically and stretching themselves too thin? Is there any chance Democrats can win in places that Donald Trump has consistently won by double digits? Especially in Senate races that could seal control of the upper chamber? Yes, there is a chance. Probable, no. A chance, yes.” (10/20/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/20/kansas-montana-mississippi-where-will-the-blue-wave-crest/
- Trump’s Attack on Congresswoman Omar Is an Attack on Congress Itself
Source: The UnPpoulist
by Andy Craig“The House’s control over its own membership does not put members beyond the reach of the ordinary law. A representative who takes a bribe can be investigated, indicted, and convicted like anyone else, and nothing in Article I stands in the way. A conviction is not among the qualifications and does not by itself cost anyone a seat. What is different about the Omar investigation is its purpose. It is not aimed at punishing a crime but at taking away one of the three constitutional qualifications for the office she already holds, her citizenship. … The House may have ultimate control over its membership, but the attempt to short-circuit that authority by abusing other processes does real damage. The House would keep its power on paper while being dared to assert it, and to assert her privileges as a member in full standing.” (10/19/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-attack-on-congresswoman-omar
- The homeless problem and government
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“[M]aking homelessness invisible generally means forcing people into shelters, or letting the weather do that for you. But solving homelessness? That is more complicated.” (10/19/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/10/19/the-homeless-problem-and-government/
- What the United States Can Learn from Ancient Civilizations
Source: Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland“The Roman world lasted 2,000 years, transforming from a kingdom to a republic and finally to an empire. At 250, what can the United States, which has been through its own stages, learn from Rome? As Americans prepare for what seems like a pivotal election—amid not just rising prices but, more seriously, rapid systemic decay—they may profit from an examination of what made the long-lasting Roman and Chinese civilizations so successful.” (10/19/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/19/united-states-ancient-civilizations/
- Trumpflation is Here
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“Donald Trump loves to put his name on things, and when it comes to the recent burst of inflation, it’s totally deserved. Trump and Republican politicians are doing their best to try to make a simple story complicated. But there is no doubt that Trump is the lead and almost sole author of the inflation we are now seeing.” (10/20/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/10/20/trumpflation-is-here/
- Talking with China, say what you’re told you can’t say
Source: Asia Times
by Gran Newsham“For years, the idea of speaking forthrightly to China would evoke an admonition from the US State Department and most of the American policymaking class: ‘We can’t do that. They won’t like it.’ They’d often add, ‘China has red lines, don’t you know?’ There are things you are told you just can’t say – questioning China’s political system, Taiwan, democracy, human rights and China’s ‘development rights’ (challenging China’s right to do anything it wants – legal or illegal – to develop its economy and industry). In short, you can’t mention any of the things that make communist China such a threat to peace and prosperity. … When it comes to the Chinese Communists, if you won’t say it in public – as Reagan did with the Soviets – it’s a win for the communists.” (10/19/26)
https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/talking-with-china-say-what-youre-told-you-cant-say/
- The Possible Socialism of Andy Burnham
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner“Imagine that the U.S. had a gifted progressive president, with a common touch and a large majority in Congress. That’s basically what Britain has today with its new prime minister, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, whose Labour Party has a working majority of 167 seats in the House of Commons. For a generation, Labour had been badly fragmented into Corbynites on the left and Blairites on the center-right, as well as a middle group representing a ‘soft left’. Burnham mercifully bridges over yesterday’s schisms. He has explicitly repudiated neoliberalism (both Margaret Thatcher’s and Tony Blair’s), espousing and defining a new kind of leftism that he calls business-friendly socialism, rooted in his success as an effective northern mayor far from the infighting of Westminster.” (10/20/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/10/20/andy-burnham-britain-labour-party-prime-minister/
- Grocery Stores Are Inevitable
Source: Show-Me Institute
by Cory Koedel“Modern grocery stores are amazing. You can walk into one virtually any time and find an incredible selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, snacks, treats, and drinks. Out of season? No such thing. Want strawberries in January? No problem. Grocery stores are so amazing that it’s hard to believe no one is in charge. How do they manage to have all the things we want, all the time? Who coordinates the farmers, food processors, truckers, and store owners to make this happen? The answer, of course, is no one. The invisible hand of the free market takes care of it for us. And it does a spectacular job.” (10/19/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/economy/grocery-stores-are-inevitable/
- The Car That Could
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“A little later than expected, flying cars have arrived. Welcome to the 21st century. A rockets-enhanced Roadster can zoom up a nearly vertical ramp and execute a flip in mid-air before landing. Also, ‘on cold gas thrusters,’ the prototype can jump into the air from a stationary position on the ground, fly for a few seconds, and do a flip before landing.” (10/19/26)
- Hero Oregon Dad Showed the Importance of Defying Restrictive Gun Laws
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“Last week, not only did Oregon’s restrictive gun laws fail to stop a shooter intent on killing innocent people, but a passing good Samaritan had to violate those laws to end the murder spree. Fortunately, authorities don’t appear intent on prosecuting Kaylub Giamanco, father to two girls who attend the school, for ignoring the ban on guns on school grounds to save lives. But the law is clearly more of a threat to people with good intent than it is to those bent on doing harm. Such laws should and must be defied, but lawmakers need to remove these legal minefields before they do more damage.” (10/19/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/19/hero-oregon-dad-showed-the-importance-of-defying-restrictive-gun-laws/
- South Korea’s Hedging Strategy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Galen Carpenter“South Korea is making a concerted effort to avoid becoming entangled in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to promote a possible rapprochement between Washington and Pyongyang, and to ease the ROK’s own tensions with North Korea. Lee and his advisers are also attempting to steer a middle course with respect to the mounting animosity between Japan and the People’s Republic of China. Both Beijing and Tokyo seek Seoul’s backing regarding a number of disputes. One emotional spat is the territorial dispute between Japan and the PRC over control of the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands, which has led to several provocative deployments of maritime vessels in the past year.” (10/19/260
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_galen_carpenter/2026/10/18/south-koreas-hedging-strategy/
- The Internet Needs a Memory
Source: The Atlantic
by Brewster Kahle“Many people assume that once something is published online, it will remain forever retrievable. The saying that ‘the internet never forgets’ has produced a dangerously false sense of permanence. In reality, the internet forgets continuously. Websites are constantly revised, deleted, and abandoned altogether. This is why, 30 years ago, I founded the Internet Archive. I wanted to build a mechanism for permanence in the internet age. Soon after that, I helped build the Internet Archive’s most-used resource, the Wayback Machine, a system that would preserve webpages as they appeared at any one moment in time, allowing future readers to return to those moments. … What began as an effort to preserve the web has become an essential tool for journalists, researchers, historians, and the broader public.
Yet the future of this tool has become extremely vulnerable.” (10/19/26) - The US Government’s Really Big Debt Problem
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul“The idea that tax cuts, deregulation, and a slightly less destructive monetary policy can produce enough economic growth to eliminate deficits has been an article of faith among many conservative economists and Republican politicians since the late seventies. An insight of supply-side economists is that, since cutting taxes incentivizes people to work and invest, government can increase revenue by cutting taxes. Over time, the growth produced by low tax rates is expected to enable government to reduce or even eliminate its debt without making spending cuts. This theory benefits Republicans who can campaign promising to cut taxes while avoiding discussing what may be unpopular spending cuts. One of the problems with this theory is deficit spending itself inhibits economic growth by causing the Federal Reserve to monetize the federal debt.” (10/19/26)
https://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/the-us-governments-really-big-debt-problem
- Trumpian Corruption and Minnesota Fraud
Source: Beat the Press
by Dean Baker“The Republicans have been so successful at hyping the fraud around the Feeding Our Future child nutrition program in Minnesota that even liberal Democrats reflexively all say ‘fraud’ when they discuss Minnesota. Apparently, it is news to even well-informed types that Trump and his sycophants lie about liberal politicians, especially successful ones like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Rather than wallow in contrition over the fraud that took place, it would be worth spending more time in Reality Land. No one should ever apologize for fraud. It is a serious crime, especially when the money was designated for a nutrition program designed to help children from low- and moderate-income families. But we need a sense of proportion. Fraud in government programs will never be zero.” (10/19/26)
https://cepr.net/publications/trumpian-corruption-and-minnesota-fraud/
- Anthropic Would Kill 50 Humans To Roll Out The Next AI Model
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Politico has a new article out titled ‘Anthropic quietly pitches its own AI safety bill to lawmakers’, revealing the contents of a leaked confidential draft on regulations the tech giant would be willing to accept in the name of public safety. Buried in paragraph four of the article, we come to the real story in these revelations: ‘The bill would let the government block a model’s release or use only if it poses a foreseeable, imminent risk of more than $1 billion in damages, or of killing or seriously injuring more than 50 people.'” (10/19/26)
- Rising, 10/20/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on a proposed deal to lower the tensions between Ukraine and Russia.” (10/20/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/20/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Hits Brutal New Polling Low—and GOP Leaks Grow Truly Humiliating.” (10/20/26)
- Law & Liberty Podcast, 10/20/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“A Humane American Conservatism with Michael Lucchese, hosted by James M. Patterson.” (10/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/podcast/a-humane-american-conservatism/
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 10/20/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me to talk about the challenges of maintaining one’s principles and character in a time when everything seems negotiable.” (10/20/26)
- Cato Weekly Podcast, 10/20/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Trading Democracy for Oil? The Venezuela-US Deal.” (10/20/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-weekly-podcast/trading-democracy-oil-venezuela-us-deal
- Capital Record, episode 329
Source: National Review
“Hopelessness and Social Unrest.” (10/20/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/hopelessness-and-social-unrest/
- Trump Watch, 10/20/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Mid-Terms Won’t Make Any Difference.” (10/20/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/20/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“GOP Senators Freak Out As Trump Eases Russia Sanctions!” (10/20/26)
- TAC Right Now, 10/20/26
Source: The American Conservative
“GOP Headed for Midterm Wipeout? w/ Gabe Fleisher.” (10/20/26)
- Parallax Views w/ JG Michael, 10/19/26
Source: Parallax Views w/ JG Michael
“This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning w/ Robert Jensen.” (10/19/26)
- The Chris Spangle Show, 10/19/26
Source: The Chris Spangle Show
“Interview: Chris Spangle on How Indiana Historical Society Seeks to Preserve Hoosier History.” (10/19/26)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/interview-chris-spangle-on-how-indiana
- The Chris Hedges Report, 10/19/26
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“How Trump Plans to Steal the Midterm Elections.” (10/19/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/how-trump-plans-to-steal-the-midterm
- Chris Edwards on Freedom Works with Paul Molloy
Source: Freedom Works
“Amtrak.” (10/19/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-10-20_zfw0010192026.mp3
- Quillette Podcast, 10/19/26
Source: Quillette
“Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Amy Hamm about Steven Galloway’s legal campaign against the University of British Columbia scholars who promoted baseless allegations that he was a rapist.” (10/19/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/10/19/watching-a-cancelled-novelist-confront-his-false-accusers/
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 10/19/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Hegseth Meets Netanyahu During Unannounced Visit to Israel, Ansar Allah Hits Military Camp, and More.” (10/19/26)
- Reason Roundtable, 10/19/26
Source: Reason
“France’s Welfare State Is Finally Imploding.” (10/19/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/19/frances-welfare-state-is-finally-imploding/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/19/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Trump To Bibi: ‘Finish The Job’ In Iran.” (10/19/26)
- Rising, 10/19/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin saying she wants young people to be deterred from working in the Trump administration.” (10/19/26)
- Radio Rothbard, 10/19/26
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“The Black Box of Government Secrets.” (10/19/26)
https://mises.org/podcasts/radio-rothbard/black-box-government-secrets
- AI Summer, 10/19/26
Source: AI Summer
“Garrison Lovely on the case for banning superintelligence.” (10/19/26)
https://www.aisummer.org/p/garrison-lovely-on-the-case-for-banning